Samsung Electronics and LG Electronics are facing off at the Korea Electronics Show, highlighting AI home appliances and subscription services. The two companies said they are taking part in KES 2026, which opened on Monday at COEX in Seoul, and will welcome visitors for four days through Oct. 16. Both companies put everyday AI experiences at the center of their exhibits.

Samsung set up an experience space linking mobile devices, home appliances and displays. At the entrance, it installed media art that connects 28 units of the Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra, Fold8 and Flip8 with a lighting sculpture called Project Luna. Across from it, Samsung placed a micro RGB display and is screening 14 artworks by artists on OLED TVs. The company also said it is running hands-on zones for new products such as the Galaxy Watch Ultra2 and Galaxy TabS 12.

In the home appliance area, visitors can try the AI Food Manager, which uses an internal camera in the Bespoke AI Family Hub refrigerator to manage ingredients. The Bespoke AI Combo washer-dryer, which handles washing and drying in one cycle, includes AI Custom+ that sets washing intensity and drying temperature based on laundry conditions. Vision AI Companion provides content information on a TV based on conversation. The company said Samsung AI Subscription, renamed from AI Subscription Club in September, strengthened delivery, installation and care services, and visitors can also receive on-site consultations.

Lim Seong-taek (임성택), a vice president and head of Samsung Electronics' Korea business, said the exhibit was designed so visitors can more vividly feel how AI technology makes people's lives more convenient and enriching in everyday life. He said subscription services across a range of products, from mobile devices to home appliances, also let people experience a more convenient AI life.

LG Electronics set its exhibition under the theme of LG Life Layer, dividing it into a Daily Layer and an Industrial Layer. At the entrance to the Daily Layer, the home robot Cloi'd greets visitors. LG also introduced home appliance subscriptions that include professional care while using a refrigerator with an ice-making water purifier, WashCombo and Whisen tower air conditioners. The company said it placed the transparent OLED TV, LG Signature OLED T, in a living space set up with the ultra-premium SKS and LG Signature appliances.

Next to the Mono Core 72 Smart Cottage, a single-storey 72 square meter modular house, LG placed the vehicle-type AI mobility concept Spielraum. It demonstrates connecting the two through the LG ThinQ On AI home hub, including preheating the vehicle oven from home and remotely controlling home appliances from the vehicle. In the Industrial Layer, LG unveiled its Chip-to-Chiller cooling solution, an AI data center thermal management technology. It shows the liquid-cooling process linking a chiller, coolant distribution unit and a cold plate that directly absorbs heat from chips.

In the smart factory area, LG presented a physical AI-based manufacturing site where three LG MoMa autonomous mobile collaborative robots move materials and work. It displayed actuators, components that move robot joints, under the brand name Axiom. In the in-cabin area, LG showcased a transparent OLED display on the front windshield, a Vision Solution that provides information based on eye direction, and a rear-seat Entertainment Solution.